Part of the Problem
by HecateA
Summary: If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.  And Johanna couldn't be paid to be a part of that.  Oneshot, rated T for swearing that's not as bad as it could be.


**This was writen a while back, but fine-tuned and published just now. I like how Johanna is difficult for just about anything you ask her to do, and this is just a little snip of that and the kind of pain we got a peek at in Mockingjay. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: Suzanne Collins owns the Hunger Games and its main characters.**

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><p>Johanna had mastered three things in her life. Axes, deception, and ignoring stuff.<p>

Drugs aren't good for you- _ignore._

You should be more sociable- _ignore._

Conscience call- _ignore._

Kids just died in the games- _ignore._

Doorbell is ringing- _ignore._

_Ding. Dong. Ding. Dong._

"Shut up," Johanna muttered.She hadn't mastered making inanimate objects obey her, though. She wished she'd gotten to that instead of just spending her empty, useless, painful days lying around the 'house' that was more of a 'mansion' or a 'prison' for the really accurate ones out there.

But finally she got up from the kitchen table, opened the door, flung it open, turned around, and went to sit back down at the table.

"Nice to see you too, Johanna." Came a sarcastic voice. She looked up.

"Haymitch? The hell are you doing in district 7? It's not the next Games yet, right?" Johanna thought, trying to remember when the last kid died. It was a week ago only; right. That little girl from district 8 had been tucked under the guy from 4's wing, and he'd just turned around and stabbed her. Johanna shivered. She'd been twelve years old, and so, so close...

"Of course it isn't. This is business. Someone had to come talk to you, and they were all sort-of scared of you. Except for me."

"Us cripples must stick together." Johanna said sarcastically.

"Not funny." Haymitch said darkly; but Johanna could just see in his eyes, and smell it in his breath that the bottle was still his best friend. Plus there were some things in life that could always be rightly assumed.

"I know it isn't, but I don't care. And what do you mean 'someone' had to talk to me?"

"A human being. You still remember what those are? When's the last time you've been out of here?" Haymitch asked gesturing to the general household area.

"You're in no position to talk." Johanna snarled. "What can I do for you? Is it worth me doing? Why are you here?"

"Trying to fix something in my life," Haymitch said. "Trying to maybe fill a gaping hole in my side that's been there for as long as I can remember. Care to join me?"

"Sounds hard." Johanna grumbled.

"So was losing your sister," Haymitch said. "And the twins. And your father. And your uncle."

She bolted up.

"What are you saying about my folks?" She said. "I told you at the Games two years ago; don't talk to me about them!"

"And I'm talking now." Haymitch said.

"I don't want to know anything about this," Johanna said. "I don't care what your idea or plan is, I'm not going to do anything like it ever; going against the Capitol once was stupid, and I'm not doing it twice."

"You rather forget it?"

"What do you think I'm doing all of this to myself for? Keeping other people away? Because I want to live in pain the whole time and die in a hole without anyone noticing? Because I like remembering how Ash and Narcissus and Juniper and Uncle and Dad are all dead and it's my fault?"

"It's not your fault." Haymitch said. "I used to think that too. About my girl. My family. But it isn't, and I've seen that."

"Well, I'm glad you've seen the light. Now see the front door. How did you even get here, in the first place?"

"It's complicated," Haymitch said. "And I'd hate to have come all this way for no reason."

"I'd hate for you to come here." Johanna said. If she was hostile enough he'd leave her to herself and she'd be able to lock herself in her special places.

He sat down at the table in front of Johanna.

"So you miss them?"

"Go away."

"I remember meeting Juniper, she was a cutie. Pigtails and a softer attitude than when you were a newborn. I remember that she gave me a cookie once."

"Haymitch-"

"Said she made them…"

"Haymitch-"

"She even told me her secret ingredient; cinnamon."

"_Haymitch_," Johanna snapped. "Shut. Up. I remember her stinking cinnamon cookies, I remember the gap between her teeth, I remember her face, I remember her name- you don't have to remind me of what I lost!"

"Who took it from you?"

"Excuse me?" Johanna said. "You're being a bit of an ass just coming here and bossing me around and talking to me about stuff that you know I don't want to talk about."

"I also remember the twins," Haymitch went on. He really didn't process English very well, did he? "I swear I didn't inverse their names half as much as they told me I did. They have wood shavings in their hair all the time, and you kept brushing them out, but there were always more. Like organic dandruff."

"Haymitch."

"They probably did it just to get under your skin," Haymitch shrugged.

"Like you are now?" Johanna was trembling now. Was she high or something? How was Haymitch here, so far from home, and why was she not beating him to death yet for this? She was definitely not all there.

"You uncle was a nice guy too, so keen to laughing and having a good time, always had a story to tell or a song to sing, it was never dull with your uncle. What was his name- Palmer? I called him Uncle too."

"Haymitch Abernathy you better shut up right now."

"But your _dad _left the biggest impression in me." Haymitch ploughed on, and something in Johanna suddenly disappeared; and her heart appeared, ready to be painful. "He was always so kind and gentle to everyone, and making a lot out of nothing; a real scrapper."

Johanna felt so hurt, all thoughts vanished. Dad.

"He left the biggest gash in my side when they killed him." She whispered. Haymitch nodded and took her hand over the table.

"I know. And who took it from you?"

"The Capitol." Johanna whispered.

"Exactly. I'm going to try and pull them down."

"Now I know it's not a dream, it's exactly you I'm seeing. You're freaking drunk." Johanna said.

"I'm not." Haymitch insisted. "I'm serious. The Capitol is the problem. It's _the _problem. Not the rebellious districts, or the geographical emplacements of the twelve, or whatever."

"Welcome to my life, drunk. Now leave it." Images of cute little Juniper, or the macho want-to-be twins were spiralling in her head, making her want to roll into the fetal position and erase all sensation or something.

"I've got some people inside the Capitol and some other strong tributes on my side for this. Finnick Odair, Wirress, Beetee; you remember Mags…"

"Well good for you guys."

"We need more," Haymitch insisted. "You're strong and smart and perceptive Johanna, we need you."

"I need to stay away." Johanna insisted.

"Okay fine," Haymitch said getting up. "But if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. The problem killed your family."

Johanna paled as Haymitch got up.

Family. Heck, that'd been a long time no see. Sometimes she saw brothers and sisters walking to school together, or watching them play in the trees growing practically everywhere in district 7. Sometimes she'd sit in her house and look through the window, just waiting the whole day for them to walk by. Sometimes she imagined her young face on the oldest sister, and Juniper, Narcissus and Ash's faces on the surrounding siblings.

Then sometimes she'd see their parents meet them halfway, driving the trucks with the wood loaded in the back. They'd jump out from the truck, grab their kids in their arms, swoop them around, and plop them in the back for a drive home (which was of course illegal, but common practise in District 7). Johanna remembered when her Dad did that to her; she'd always be in charge. Making sure Ash and Narcissus didn't push each other out, holding onto Juniper and promising to her that she wouldn't fall and get hurt...

When she heard a fiddle play she thought of Uncle. And that hurt. Another good reason to stay away from people; it hurt her. It put them in danger. As far as Johanna saw it, staying in her own little corner of district 7 was a solution.

But that didn't bring her folks back.

"Alright," Johanna said getting up and slamming her hand on the table. "Haymitch, you've got yourself a bitch to fight in this. Give me a solution."


End file.
